About Us

The Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) is part of the National Primate Research Centers program funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1961.

The WNPRC’s mission is to increase our understanding of basic primate biology and to improve human and animal health and quality of life through research.

To accomplish this scientists and staff:

• Help discover treatments, preventions and cures for human disease.
• Generate new knowledge of primate biology, from the molecular and whole animal levels to the understanding of primate ecosystems.
• Facilitate research progress by providing expertise, resources and training to scientists worldwide.
• Disseminate information about the center to the research community and the public.

Nearly all medical advances have depended on research with animals. Research with nonhuman primates often serves as a critical link between basic science and safe human clinical application.

Our Facilities

The WNPRC is based in the UW–Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. The center employs close to 200 scientific staff, research and animal services staff, administrative and operations staff, and UW–Madison veterinary, post-doc, graduate, undergraduate and research trainees. The center serves hundreds of collaborating scientists from around the world who publish their work in peer-reviewed journals. The center has strong research and teaching links to the UW-Madison Schools or Colleges of Medicine and Public Health, Letters and Science, Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine.

Funding

Programs of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) are supported by Award Number P51OD011106 from the National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP). In addition, the WNPRC has received ORIP support for construction and renovation with the following awards: C06RR020141 (2004), G20RR022780 (2007), G20RR023956 (2008), G20RR025851 (2009), C06RR032709 (2011), C06OD028387 (2019), and C06OD030078 (2020).